Begin Again

Apologies from Hollywood players who have misspoken in interviews are pretty par for the course in today’s outrage culture. Usually, there’s also a whiff of self-righteousness or blame shifting in those carefully constructed statements. But you’ll find none of that in this apology from John Carney, who has built his brand through wild, passionate films that seem to come straight from the heart. The director launched a thousand headlines over the holiday weekend after throwing actress Keira Knightley under the bus when discussing his 2014 film Begin Again. Carney—who says he privately apologized to Knightley for his statements—has now released a statement taking full responsibility.

In his original interview, Carney accused Knightley of traveling with an intrusive entourage, not being able to sing, and not opening up in her performance. He capped it by declaring, “I’ll never make a film with supermodels again.” In the wake of that drama, Knightley’s other collaborators have rallied to her side—and now Carney has shown up with his own show of support. Instead of going through a publicist, Carney posted something he composed and screen captured on his phone. As with most things he does, the genuine emotion shines through his words.

This apology come as a relief to fans of Carney’s lovely work on Once, Begin Again, and the currently-playing Sing Street. Unlike director Michael Bay—who was recently in the news for old, uncharitable comments he made about his Pearl Harbor leading lady Kate Beckinsale—Carney doesn’t have a history of mean-spirited commentary. These Knightley critiques clashed uncomfortably with Carney’s heart-on-his-sleeve, down-to-earth approach to filmmaking. With this refreshing apology, perhaps we can all . . . begin again?